Basic Composting - Layers, Rules

I am wondering how to start composting in general. What are the basic layers or contents you need to get started? Is there a specific composting bin which has worked better than others?

I'd say the most important starting place is finding a good source of carbonaceous "brown" material - stuff like wood chips, dry leaves, shredded cardboard, shredded paper, shredded newspaper, dry pine needles, chopped up dried dead branches, etc.

If you can get enough carbon collected consistently, that's your first 80% of the battle won 💪

I've been putting my cardboard boxes through a 12-sheet micro-cut shredder, that's working great and giving me most of the carbon I need. What kind of "browns" do you have available to you and abundant?

I'm in Flagstaff AZ - not as hot as Tucson and LearnDirt, but plenty dry and windy! So for me a critical part of composting has been figuring out how to keep things moist enough for all the living beings who do the work of composting (decomposition). That has mattered WAY more than any worries about precise layers or mixes of materials. I use straw bales standing on their sides to serve as three sides of a "bin" - rather than any manufactured bin or fencing materials. The straw protects the piled materials inside from the wind; I generally have a sheet of cardboard laid over the top of the pile to keep moisture in as well. If I notice critters trying to dig in the compost I can lay a piece of wire fencing over the whole thing also. (This spring we had a pair of ravens who were regularly checking the compost pile for goodies.) Note: this is not the most tidy or attractive way to go, but I'm in a rural area and no one else can see or worry about my compost pile! Also - shredding or chopping "brown" materials into smaller pieces has really helped accelerate breakdown, also. I start with a small pile of brown stuff - shredded cardboard, chopped weeds, etc. - and then routinely add my kitchen and garden waste (cut into smaller pieces if it is something big), alternating with some more brown stuff. Most of the time I do need to add some moisture, since we don't have regular rains here except in a few months of the year. I find that winter is actually a great time for decomposition to proceed, since the temperatures are cooler and the pile stays moist longer.